Fine Line
by heavendenied
Summary: Post-Movie confrontation, ReidCaleb, Slash


He should have known that they wouldn't be satisfied with his voice over the phone, telling them it was over and he was fine. After everything that had happened the past few weeks, Caleb couldn't blame them, but that didn't mean he wanted to talk about it.

After glancing past Reid to see if Tyler had come as well and finding nothing but the empty Hummer, he moved aside to let the blonde in and closed the door silently. His hand pressed against it a moment as he closed his eyes, searching for the patience he was going to need before turning around again.

Pale eyes looking him up and down.

"Dude, you look like shit."

He groaned, sweeping a bruised and cut hand through dark hair covered in ashes and dust and probably matted with more than a little blood, turning and padding barefoot to the staircase with no more than a scathing look in Reid's direction.

"Your powers of observation amaze me, man, they really do."

"Oh, fuck off. I come all the way over here…"

"No one asked you to, Reid," he cut him off, biting back a tired sigh as he started up the stairs. Eyes rolling towards the ceiling as he heard the younger boy continue to complain as he followed.

It was just not his fucking year.

It was really too much to hope for that Reid wouldn't follow him right into the bathroom, and he wasn't disappointed. Not really listening to a word the younger boy was saying as he stripped out of his ragged and burned in places, bloody in more, shirt. Letting it drop to the tiled floor as he popped open the button on his jeans, sliding them down and off, along with his boxers.

Kicking them out of the way as he reached into the shower and ran the water as hot as he could bear.

"You know what I really hate," Reid was muttering as Caleb pulled back the shower curtain and stepped into the tub, letting out a small groan at the heat pouring down over tired, strained muscles and lacerated skin. He ignored the question, half-hoping the other boy would go away. Half wanting the company, even if it was Reid in a mood.

The shower curtain opened, sending chilled air over his wet skin before Reid's naked body stepped in, pressing close to his back.

"I hate that you think that you're so much better, so much more powerful than us that you can go and do shit like this alone." The words echoed against the tiled walls, though they weren't spoken very loudly.

"I hate that you're right, that you obviously _can_ do stupid shit like this alone. I hate that you feel you have to."

Caleb opened his mouth, wanting to deny that, but it was true. So he simply sighed, eyes closing against the water streaming down hot over his face, chest, skin twitching as Reid's hand drug a soapy washcloth over one of his shoulders, sliding it down one arm, then across his back.

"I hate that you're not gonna talk about it, what happened. That you're going to be all strong and silent about it as if we couldn't handle it."

He felt Reid's mouth hot and biting against the back of his neck, making him groan and drop his head forwards with a sigh. Still unable to refute anything the other boy was saying.

"I hate that you're shutting me out right now."

Caleb swallowed, shaking his head. There was too much in his head, too much chaos with everything that had happened. Chase, his father. Sarah knowing, almost getting her killed. The new power, the extra power.

If he broke down like Reid wanted, he didn't know if he could ever pull the pieces back together.

"Then why are you here?"

The washcloth dropped to the floor of the shower and for a moment, he thought that Reid might have finally had enough, taken all that he would, could.

But then his arms wrapped lightly around his waist, pulling him back just enough so that Caleb was leaning back against the other boy. Felt the warm, wet press of Reid's forehead against his neck, felt the other boy's breath against his skin for a long moment.

"Because I can't hate _you_."

Which was as close as he thought Reid would ever get to 'I love you.' He smiled slightly, for what felt like the first time in weeks. His own arms coming up to hold Reid's tighter around himself.

"Good."


End file.
